India House

Built to accommodate the architect’s practice, his residence, a gallery and a series of external spaces, this building finds inspiration in the Maharastran city courtyard house and reinterprets this age-old typology for sustainability in urban scenarios. Presenting an austere, almost windowless aspect to the street, layered entries lead to a series of increasingly private spaces interspersed with courtyards where pools serve to chill breezes and enhance the microclimate. Natural ventilation is used throughout, at times with louvers. The reinforced concrete frame structure with fly ash infill, sandstone slabs, and vaulted ceilings, consists of a basement gallery, a ground-floor plus two floors and a roof terrace. The entirety is decorated with historic iconography and motifs in which all India’s communities are honoured.